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It's nothing new to see food manufacturers targeting children through advertisements. It's also common for companies to alter their products to appeal to children. Sweetening yogurt and packaging the fruity flavors in decorative cartons is one popular way to get the attention of children and parents at the grocery store. We decided to see if those youth-friendly yogurts were any good.

By Kathy Saunders, Times correspondent

Product/serving

Yoplait Kids / 3 ounces

Dannon Dan-o-nino / 1.76 ounces

Stonyfield Organic / 4 ounces

Calories / Fat / Fiber / Sugars / Sodium / Carbohydrates / Protein

Yoplait

70 / 1g / 0g / 9g / 45mg / 13g / 3g

Dannon

60 / 2g / 0g / 7g / 25mg / 7g / 3g

Stonyfield

80 / 1g / 0g / 13g / 80mg / 14g / 4g

Judges' comments

Yoplait

Judges preferred this brand over the others because they said it tasted the most like "adult" yogurts. We sampled the strawberry flavored version and found the texture and color similar to any of the Yoplait yogurts on the market. "This has a strong strawberry flavor and it's very smooth and tasty," said one panelist. "I like the pale pink color and the mildly sweet taste," said another. The balance between sweet and tangy tastes made this a hit.

Dannon

The consistency of this yogurt gave it an edge over the competition. "It's sweet and creamy and I love that it comes in such a cute little cup," said one panelist. The texture was "like yogurt should be," said one judge. Another said she liked the look better than the taste. Overall, judges said they would have preferred a bit more sweetener in the flavor. "The only ones who I think would really like this are kids who love the flavor of pure, unflavored yogurt — in other words, none," said one taster.

Stonyfield

Unlike some of the other smooth yogurts, this organic brand was very watery. Judges said the wet texture made it hard to taste the strawberry/vanilla flavorings. "It reminds me of raspberry sherbet," said one judge. Another said it also was probably too tart for her children.

Panelists: Nan Jensen, registered dietician; Wayne Conery, manager of the R-Bar on Treasure Island; Jeff Jensen, public information officer for the city of Treasure Island and personal chef Kay Bell. All foods were tasted blind.

It's nothing new to see food manufacturers targeting children through advertisements. It's also common for companies to alter their products to appeal to children. Sweetening yogurt and packaging the fruity flavors in decorative cartons is one popular way to get the attention of children and parents at the grocery store. We decided to see if those youth-friendly yogurts were any good. Kathy Saunders, Times correspondent

Product/serving

Yoplait Kids

3 ounces

Dannon Dan-o-nino

1.76 ounces

Stonyfield Organic

4 ounces

Calories/Fat/FiberSugars / Sodium Carbs / Protein

70 / 1g / 0g 9g / 45mg 13g / 3g

60 / 2g / 0g 7g / 25mg 7g / 3g

80 / 1g / 0g 13g / 80mg 14g / 4g

Judges'comments

Judges preferred this brand because they said it tasted the most like "adult" yogurts. We sampled the strawberry flavor and found the texture and color similar to any of the Yoplait yogurts on the market. "This has a strong strawberry flavor and it's very smooth and tasty," said one panelist. "I like the pale pink color and the mildly sweet taste," said another. The balance between sweet and tangy made this a hit.

The consistency of this yogurt gave it an edge over the competition. "It's sweet and creamy and I love that it comes in such a cute little cup," said one panelist. The texture was "like yogurt should be," said one judge. Another said she liked the look better than the taste. Overall, judges said they would have preferred it to be a bit sweeter. "The only ones who I think would really like this are kids who love the flavor of pure, unflavored yogurt — in other words, none," said one.

Unlike some of the other smooth yogurts, this organic brand was very watery. Judges said the wet texture made it hard to taste the strawberry/vanilla flavorings. "It reminds me of raspberry sherbet," said one judge. Another said it also was probably too tart for her children.

Would they buy?

All four judges said yes.

One of the judges said yes.

None of the judges said yes.

Shopping information

$1.99 for four 3-ounce containers from Publix.

$2 for six 1.76-ounce cups from Publix.

$3.29 for six 4-ounce cups from Publix.

Product/serving

Yoplait Kids

3 ounces

Dannon Dan-o-nino

1.76 ounces

Stonyfield Organic

4 ounces

Calories/Fat/FiberSugars / Sodium Carbs / Protein

70 / 1g / 0g 9g / 45mg 13g / 3g

60 / 2g / 0g 7g / 25mg 7g / 3g

80 / 1g / 0g 13g / 80mg 14g / 4g

Judges'comments

Judges preferred this brand because they said it tasted the most like "adult" yogurts. We sampled the strawberry flavor and found the texture and color similar to any of the Yoplait yogurts on the market. "This has a strong strawberry flavor and it's very smooth and tasty," said one panelist. "I like the pale pink color and the mildly sweet taste," said another. The balance between sweet and tangy made this a hit.

The consistency of this yogurt gave it an edge over the competition. "It's sweet and creamy and I love that it comes in such a cute little cup," said one panelist. The texture was "like yogurt should be," said one judge. Another said she liked the look better than the taste. Overall, judges said they would have preferred it to be a bit sweeter. "The only ones who I think would really like this are kids who love the flavor of pure, unflavored yogurt — in other words, none," said one.

Unlike some of the other smooth yogurts, this organic brand was very watery. Judges said the wet texture made it hard to taste the strawberry/vanilla flavorings. "It reminds me of raspberry sherbet," said one judge. Another said it also was probably too tart for her children.

Would they buy?

All four judges said yes.

One of the judges said yes.

None of the judges said yes.

Shopping information

$1.99 for four 3-ounce containers from Publix.

$2 for six 1.76-ounce cups from Publix.

$3.29 for six 4-ounce cups from Publix.

ALSO SAMPLED: Chobani Greek Very Berry Low-fat Yogurt ($3.29 for four 3.5-ounce cups from Publix) and Gerber Graduates Mixed Berry ($2.78 for four 3.5-ounce cups from Walmart).

Panelists: Nan Jensen, registered dietitian; Wayne Conery, manager of the R-Bar on Treasure Island; Jeff Jensen, public information officer for the city of Treasure Island; and Kay Bell, personal chef. All foods were tasted blind.